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Syria, the rebels overthrow Assad from power/ What is expected to happen?

2024-12-08 21:00:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Syrian rebels declared they had ousted President Bashar al-Assad after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing him to flee and ending his family's autocratic rule after more than 14 years of civil war. The rebels also dealt a major blow to the influence of Russia and Iran in Syria in the heartland of the region - allies that had supported al-Assad during critical periods of the conflict.

Syrians took to the streets on Sunday to celebrate the end of the Assad family's 50-year iron rule, after a surprise rebel advance that swept into the capital within days is now raising questions about the future of the country and the wider region.

Crowds gathered in central Damascus squares waving the Syrian flag, scenes reminiscent of the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal government crackdown that plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war.

Others ransacked the presidential palace and the Assad family residence after President Bashar al-Assad and other top officials fled the country, their whereabouts unknown. Russia, a close ally, said al-Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and had given instructions to transfer power peacefully.

Syrian state television broadcast a video statement early Sunday from a group of rebels saying al-Assad had been toppled and all prisoners freed. They called on people to preserve the institutions of the "free Syrian state".

Rebels said they freed people held in the notorious Saydnaya prison, where rights groups say thousands were tortured and killed.

Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi, who appeared on state television later in the day, sought to reassure Syria's religious and ethnic minorities, saying: “Syria is for everyone, without exception. Syria is for Druze, Sunni, Alawite and all sects.”

As Syrians celebrated, Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali called for free elections.

Jalali also said he had been in contact with rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golan to discuss managing the transition period, marking a significant development in efforts to shape Syria's political future.

"Honestly, I was surprised by how quickly it happened. I did not expect that it would take only ten days for the rebels who left Idlib to arrive in Damascus. But it was a big move. Iran and Russia are weakened by these developments because al-Assad has been a key ally for decades. I think for Russia, the interest is to maintain a base in the heart of the Middle East. And that's the reason I predict that Russia is open to some kind of negotiations with the Golan and with Turkey. I think Iran will have a harder time," says Andre Banks, an expert on Syria at the Giga Institute for Middle East Studies in Hamburg.

"Al-Assad's regime was rotten from within and corrupt, like a mafia state. There was very little real loyalty. So this whole system was held together by fear. And then of course we have Russia. In recent days, Russia has removed its ships from the military base in Tartous. Also, high-ranking military personnel have left. Iran has provided some kind of assurance, but they were no longer giving help. Hezbollah has been greatly weakened and had withdrawn from several positions around Aleppo due to the war with Israel after October 7. All these elements brought about a weakening of Assad's power," says Carsten Wieland, former senior adviser to the UN special envoy to Syria.

The end of al-Assad's rule deals a major blow to Iran and its allies, already weakened by more than a year of conflict with Israel. The rebels now face the task of overcoming major problems in a country torn by war and still divided between various armed factions.

Turkish-backed opposition fighters are battling US-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in some remote areas.

The rebels are led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the United Nations.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, a former al-Qaida commander who severed ties with the group years ago, says he is in favor of religious pluralism and tolerance and leads the largest rebel faction while ready to work on future direction. of the country./ Voa